March Madness has descended on West Michigan and the area has plenty to cheer about.

Two teams are in the semifinals with Western Michigan Christian trying for a three-peat state title and Muskegon Heights riding a last second, overtime bucket into the competition for the first time since 2005.

The Warriors rolled into Michigan State University’s Breslin Center Thursday night for a semifinal game against Class D Covert. (Full results are in The Chronicle’s Sports section.) Muskegon Heights will follow at 6 p.m. today against Class B Detroit Country Day.

Whatever the outcome of the championship quests, these teams should be congratulated on their remarkable seasons.

Both teams have had their fans on the edge of their seats as they have been amazed by all-state quickness, shooting and ball handling against very talented opponents.

A third area team, Grand Haven (21-5), also had a memorable season, which included conference, district and regional titles — and Donk’s Dunk, a backboard-shattering dunk by Nate VanArendonk, during the regional finals that made it all the way to ESPN. The Bucs fell to Kalamazoo Central in the quarterfinals.

It’s important to celebrate the successes of high school athletes. They shine when they represent West Michigan against teams from across the state. Their talents reflect on the rest of us and are a source of community pride.

It’s also important to remember what sports competition brings to students — the development of mental toughness, physical strength and coordination and teamwork and leadership. All are qualities they can draw from for the rest of their lives and use to make our communities stronger.

Congratulations to all these fine athletes. We hope to be cheering you on for one more game.